Jordan stands by 2-state Israel-Palestinian solution

FILE – In this Aug. 29, 2018 file photo, White House Adviser Jared Kushner waves as he arrives at the Office of the United States Trade Representative in Washington. Kushner is in Jordan Wednesday, May 29, 2019, as he tries to rally Arab support for a U.S. peace conference next month in Bahrain. Jordan, a key U.S. ally, has not yet said whether it will attend. Kushner said the conference will focus on the economic foundations of peace between Israel and the Palestinians and will not include core political issues, such as Palestinian statehood. The Palestinians have rejected the conference. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

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AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan on Wednesday stood by a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, exposing a rift with the United States as the Trump administration tries to rally Arab support for a peace conference next month in Bahrain.

Presidential advisers Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman. The official Petra news agency said the two parties “discussed regional developments, especially efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”

The king restated his commitment to the two-state solution, with the formation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, a position that appears to be at odds with President Donald Trump’s still undisclosed “Deal of the Century.”

Greenblatt tweeted that he had a “constructive meeting” with King Abdullah that included “a good conversation about regional dynamics and our administration’s efforts to help Israel and the Palestinians achieve a brighter future.”

Jordan, a key U.S. ally, has not yet said whether it will attend the June 25-26 meeting in Manama, capital of the Persian Gulf state of Bahrain. The Palestinians have already said they will not attend the summit and have rejected the Trump administration’s Mideast peace plan out of hand.

Kushner, who arrived from Morocco, has said the conference will focus on the economic foundations of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The conference will not include core political issues, such as Palestinian statehood.

Greenblatt and Kushner met with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Tuesday and discussed Morocco’s support for the peace conference. Moroccan officials declined commenting on Kushner’s visit.

The White House confirmed Kushner was in Amman on Wednesday, but gave no details.

Reliant on American political and military support, it will be difficult for Jordan reject the invitation. But with most of its people of Palestinian descent, it will be difficult to embrace a plan that does not include a Palestinian state.